Thousands more may still need to be relocated to shelters, usually schools and other public buildings, officials said.

There is a health risk while being close to the eruption “because of inhaling sulphur dioxide gas or the particulate matter of ashfalls”, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told a press briefing.

Mayon, about 330km (205 miles) southeast of the capital Manila, is considered one of the most volatile of the country’s 24 active volcanoes.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said rocks were falling from a disintegrating lava dome being pushed out of the crater by molten material below the earth.

02:33

‘You can’t see anything’, major volcanic eruption in Russia’s far east releases vast ash cloud

‘You can’t see anything’, major volcanic eruption in Russia’s far east releases vast ash cloud

The rocks were raining down on areas up to two kilometres away and sulphur dioxide emissions had tripled on Saturday, state vulcanologists said.

A five-step alert system for the 2,462-metre (8,077-feet) volcano was raised from two to three on Thursday, with authorities warning of possible respiratory illnesses from inhaling fumes. A possible major eruption could happen within days or weeks.

“With Albay in a state of calamity due to Mayon’s activity, we remind people to follow the recommendations and evacuation instructions of your local governments,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said on Saturday.

The authorities were also evacuating more than 2,000 cows and water buffaloes to minimise potential losses in case of a major eruption, officials said on Sunday.

The farm animals were being herded out of rural communities within a 6km (3.7 mile) radius of Mayon volcano’s crater to 25 temporary grazing areas.

The cattle evacuations underscore the government’s dilemma in dealing with threats from about two dozen active volcanoes, led by Mayon, across the sprawling archipelago.

Located in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the Philippines is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms a year, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone.

Five years ago, Mayon displaced tens of thousands of people after spewing millions of tonnes of ash, rocks and lava, while the country’s most powerful eruption in recent decades was Mount Pinatubo, which killed more than 800 people in 1991. The disaster produced an ash cloud that travelled thousands of kilometres.

In 1814, Mayon’s eruption buried entire villages and reportedly left more than 1,000 people dead. Still, many local people have accepted the volcano’s fury as a part of their lives.

On Sunday morning throngs of people jogged or biked, joined a group dancing to disco music and walked their dogs in a seaside promenade in Albay province’s capital city of Legazpi. About 14km (8.6 miles) away, the volcano lay hidden in thick clouds.

Resident Violeto Peralta caught people’s attention when he painted an image of Mayon’s explosive eruption on the concrete fence of his roadside house. Passing schoolchildren, he said, would be happy to have his painting as a backdrop for their selfies.

He said that many businesses in the province have grown rich from diverse tourist activities that have sprung from Mayon, including sightseeing tours.

“We’re not scared of it,” the 76-year-old said. “We’ve learned to live with it.”

Additional reporting by Associated Press